An oil tanker with 23 crew members hijacked earlier this month off the coast of West Africa has been released according to report by the Associated Press. The vessel, the Spanish-owned Mattheos I, was boarded Sept. 15 by a group of pirates approximately 62nm SW of Cotonou, Benin while conducting ship-to-ship transfer operations.
The pirates, unlike their Somali counterparts, released the ship without any payment of ransom but rather stole fuel the ship was carrying as cargo.
All 23 crew members are reported to be ok except for one who was apparently struck and slightly injured by one of the pirates. The AP says the ship is now off the coast of Nigeria.
Since May this year, there has been increasing reports of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and off the coast of West Africa, prompting the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre to issue a specific warning in June. Fears that insufficient reporting from the region could mean the actual number of incidents may be far higher than expected.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,095 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports a decrease in piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships in the first half of 2024. However, Bureau is calling for sustained vigilance to...
By Simon Marks (Bloomberg) — Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on the Red Sea have reinvigorated piracy networks in Somalia, with criminal groups growing in both number and force, a European...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,095 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
